NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Even as the Rockies search for a starter, they need improved health from existing pitchers to fortify their rotation. Jorge De La Rosa and Juan Nicasio won’t pitch in winterball, choosing instead to work out in controlled environments before spring training.

De La Rosa, out for more than a year after undergoing elbow ligament surgery, pitched briefly for the Rockies in September and talked about possibly making a few starts in Mexico following the season.

That’s not going to happen. He is working out Scottsdale at the Rockies’ spring training facility, healing and strengthening his legs. He said after his last big league start that he wanted to get in better condition.

That’s what the Rockies were greeted by Friday afternoon at Isotopes Park. Granted, they were few and far between, but you could see them. Not only that, the temperature was in the high 40s in the sunshine, with a low of 29 expected later tonight.

Does Jim Tracy cringe at the thought of using his pitchers in such cold weather?

“You know what? Not necessarily,” said Tracy. “I think there’s a part of me that says it’s necessary to expose them to a little bit of this because you know what? It might be 29 on opening day too. Should we cancel the game? It won’t happen.”

At this point, the Rockies’ 25-man roster is set except for the bullpen spot that opened when Huston Street was shut down with shoulder inflammation. The job will go to one of two left-handers, Greg Smith or Joe Beimel.

Smith has had a lights-out spring (2-0, 1.50), but he’s a career starter with two relief appearances in his career, both in rookie ball. Beimel, meanwhile, is a veteran reliever who signed 10 days ago and has had two Cactus League appearances.

Tracy said recently that it wasn’t feasible to consider Beimel for the opening day roster, but that thinking is ancient history after Beimel’s two spotless innings of work. He has thrown 20 pitches, 16 for strikes, and his slider is much crisper than the one he brought to Denver when he was acquired at the 2009 trading deadline.

“He is, there’s no question about that,” said Tracy, when asked if Beimel has him rethinking things. “I think over the course of the next couple of days, we get an opportunity to see him yet another time. The thing you wrestle with is, have we given him enough (time), and has he had enough to just flow right into being a part of a major league club on opening day.”

Tracy on Beimel’s slider, which has been timed in the mid-70s after dipping into the high 60s last season: “His breaking ball right now is better than what we saw last year. It’s tighter. The rotation of the ball and the break as it enters the hitting area is sharper and crisper than it was last year when we acquired him.”

TUCSON – Spring training is baggy pants, a T-shirt and flip-flops. It’s baseball’s version of casual Friday at work. Until about this time. Now the seriousness starts to increase by a few notches. The Rockies have begun making their first roster moves. I will have more on this later. There won’t be any big surprises, just young kids told it’s not their time yet.

And closer Huston Street is throwing a one-inning simulated game at 12:30 p.m. This is an important step as he works toward making his Cactus League debut. I told Street I have planted a chip in his shoulder, so it sends Google alerts to my iPhone. He said he had no problem with it, as long as the computer piece helps him keep the ball down in the zone.

Also, the Cubs are in town. At least they are trying to get here. There’s a rumor circulating that their bus broke down on I-10. Regardless, they will be here, though they might not take the same amount of BP. This could be the Rockies last huge crowd at Hi Corbett Field. The Cubs following is amazing.

A few other notes before today’s lineup:
–Ian Stewart called his experience in Mexico terrific. Most labeled the afternoon as unique. The biggest difference was the endless music. It played non-stop, save for the one split second the ball left the pitcher’s hand. It was a combination of Mariachi, Pearl Jam, Zeppelin, etc.
–Vinny Castilla was welcomed like a dignitary. There were roughly 15 TV stations and several papers covering his press conference. Jorge De La Rosa, who lives in Hermosillo, was also a big deal. But no one is as big as Vinny
–The UNC baseball team, which played the University of Arizona over the weekend, toured Hi Corbett Field, joined by owner Dick Monfort.

TUCSON — The Rockies are spread across two countries today. Half the team is in Hermosillo, Mexico, including manager Jim Tracy. The Rockies flew charter to that exhibition against the Diamondbacks, where Vinny Castilla and Jorge De La Rosa will take center stage.

Back here in Tucson, the story is Todd Helton.

He will make his Cactus League debut today. He’s never been able to ease into a spring training like this. But it makes perfect sense. For a team that should be playing meaningful games in September, Colorado needs its players at their best then, not running on fumes.

A look at the Rockies’ lineup as Colorado attemps to snap a fouir-game losins streak when they have been outscored 37-13.

Brewers 7, Rockies 6
At Maryvale Stadium
Hits: With bases and two outs in the seventh inning, shortstop Chris Nelson doused a rally with a smooth defensive play in the hole. He deftly fielded a hard shot, then jumped in the air and threw a strike to second base for a force out. … Outfielder Matt Miller slammed a three-run home run in a four-run seventh inning. Miller will provide insurance at Triple-A Colorado Springs, where he hit .319 last season. Miller and Hector Gomez have appeared in a team-high nine of the 12 spring training games.

Misses: Reliever Andrew Johnston gave up a home run to Lorenzo Cain in the eighth, pushing the Brewers ahead. Manager Jim Tracy was disappointed that Johnston didn’t stick with a sinker, his best pitch, hanging a slider instead. … Jonathan Herrera has looked better in the outfield than his customary infield spots. He committed an error at shortstop. Ian Stewart leads the Rockies with three spring errors. … Second baseman Eric Young Jr. played the plus-minus game defensively, making a terrific play behind the bag, but flubbing a routine double-play ball. … Al Alburquerque allowed two runs, and Juan Nicasio, bothered by a fingernail issue again, couldn’t completely clean up the mess, walking in a run.

TUCSON — Aaron Cook suffered through a long, ugly outing. He was pulled after allowing nine runs — five earned — in 2 2/3 innings. He threw 73 pitches. A throwing error by Ian Stewart in the third proved disastrous. But Cook was not sharp, struggling to keep his sinker down in the zone.

Also, I watched reliever Rafael Betancourt play long toss and pitch off flat ground. At one point, he threw six straight breaking balls. The action on those pitches was sharp. He walked away from the session with no issues in his shoulder. The next step will be throwing off the slope of the mound tomorrow. That will just involve fastballs and changeups. If Betancourt gets into a game next week, he should have enough time to be ready on opening day, though he may not be able to work back-to-back games initially.

Matt Belisle (forearm stiffness) threw a bullpen with no problems. He’s getting close to game-ready.
Huston Street will throw live BP tomorrow.

PEORIA — Jorge De La Rosa can’t help smiling. His twin boys, born prematurely, have improved significantly. One has gone home, while the other is close. De La Rosa will see his family this weekend when he accompanies the Rockies to Hermosillo, where he lives.

“I would like to pitch, but it will be nice just to be there,” De La Rosa said.

De La Rosa will pitch Friday, and if today’s outing against the Padres was any indication, it won’t take long. De La Rosa breezed through three innings, allowing just one hit. His breaking ball was snapping, and he commanded his fastball and changeup.

“I feel very confident right now. It’s not like last spring,” said De La Rosa, whose mechanics were a mess a year ago.

De La Rosa has begun the spring with five scoreless innings.

Quick story about De La Rosa before this game ends — the Rockies are leading 5-4 in the eighth. Hanging with the Rockies in Mexico will be nothing new for De La Rosa. He said he served as a batboy for the Rockies during one of their previous games in Mexico. “I still have the helmet from that day. I just remember running fast to get the bats,” he said with a smile. From batboy to 16-game winner. That’s Oscar worthy.

Listen, I love baseball. I watch it a lot. But not every pitch every inning. Especially in February. In-between channel flips between American Idol — it was the Denver edition, so lay off — and NBC’s Biggest Loser, my cell phone rang. A Rockies’ player was calling and saying, “Did you see that?” See what? I asked.

Vinny Castilla had just homered for Team Mexico in the Carribean World Series. Castilla also doubled. Seriously. It’s hard to put into words how big a deal Vinny is in Mexico. He’s a legend. That he’s still swinging it at 42 years old is cool. I can’t say I am shocked. I have told Vinny numerous times over the last few years that he’s in better shape now than when was playing. He agreed. That’s because as the Rockies special assistant, he hits the weight room during games since he’s not allowed on the bench. Dude is buff. And his achy knees feel better.

As for reliever Kevin Gregg, he’s heading to Toronto. The reason is obvious: the opportunity to close. That doesn’t exist in Colorado. For the sake of accuracy, I never said or wrote that the Rockies offered $2 million to Gregg. I referenced how much the Rockies saved by signing Melvin Mora and not Orlando Cabrera. That difference left roughly $2 million in the budget. That doesn’t mean they were going to give it all to Gregg. That’s how much they have left.

DENVER — As promised, the Rockies’ spring training schedule courtesy of the team’s PR staff. Here is the release with the schedule:

The Colorado Rockies today announced their 31-game 2010 Cactus League schedule, which features 15 home dates for the club in Tucson, Arizona. The final two games of the schedule will played in Albuquerque, New Mexico against the Seattle Mariners. This schedule is subject to change, as the team may add or remove games from the spring slate.

The spring schedule will begin on Thursday, March 4 with a road game at Tucson Electric Park against the Diamondbacks. Following the opener, the club will play split squad affairs at Scottsdale versus the Giants and at Tempe versus the Angels on Friday, March 5. The first home game, which will take place at Hi Corbett Field versus the Milwaukee Brewers, is slated for Saturday, March 6. Six of the first eight games are scheduled to take place at visiting venues; however, the club will remain in Tucson for two of those away games (Thursday, March 4 and Sunday, March 7 at Tucson Electric Park vs. the Diamondbacks). The Rockies’ lone off day will be Wednesday, March 24.

Colorado’s spring schedule includes 15 games at Hi Corbett Field, the Spring Training home of the Rockies. The Rockies, who have trained in Tucson since 1993, will hold their 18th Spring Training at the historic facility. Highlights for the home schedule include a Monday, March 15 game vs. the Chicago Cubs and a Thursday, March 25 game vs. the Cincinnati Reds. Cincinnati will make its first visit to Hi Corbett Field as a member of the Cactus League, as the Reds have trained in Florida since 1946.

Every Cactus League team will visit Hi Corbett Field at least once. Overall the club will face each team at least once at home and once on the road. The only exception to that has the Rockies visiting Tucson Electric Park twice.

The Rockies will send split squads to road games on four occasions, including Sunday, March 14, when the club will face the Diamondbacks in Hermosillo, Mexico. It will mark Colorado’s first Spring Training game in Mexico since matching up against the Padres in the city of Culiacan in 2001. On Saturday, March 13, the Milwaukee Brewers will send a split squad to play against the Rockies at Hi Corbett Field.

The final two exhibition games will take place in Albuquerque, New Mexico against the Seattle Mariners. Those games will be played at Isotopes Park, home of the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, on Friday, April 2 at 5:05 p.m. and Saturday, April 3 at 12:05 p.m. Information for fans wishing to purchasing tickets for the two games at Isotopes Park is available by calling the Isotopes office at (505) 924-2255. The Rockies also played their final exhibition game of the spring in Albuquerque in 2005 against the Texas Rangers. For the second consecutive season Colorado and Seattle will conclude their Spring Training schedules against each other, however, last year’s matchup took place in Las Vegas.

All home spring games at Hi Corbett Field will begin at 1:10 p.m. local time. Away games will start at 1:05 p.m. local time unless otherwise noted. Spring Training tickets will go on sale Saturday, January 9 at 9 a.m. Tickets can be purchased at the Hi Corbett Field Ticket Office, the Coors Field Ticket Office, all Dugout Store locations, all King Soopers locations, online at coloradorockies.com or by phone, by calling 1-800-388-ROCK. To purchase tickets by mail, please call (303) ROCKIES to request a mail order form. Service charges apply at the Dugout Stores, King Soopers, online, over the phone and by mail. For additional Rockies Spring Training information please call (303) ROCKIES.

THE ROCKIES’ SCHEDULE
March 4 At Dbacks
March 5 At Giants, At Angels (Split Squad)
March 6 Vs. Brewers (Spring opener)
March 7 At Diamondbacks, vs. Diamondbacks (Split Squad)
March 8 At Padres
March 9 At Dodgers
March 10 Vs. Royals
March 11 Vs. Rangers
March 12 Vs. Giants
March 13 At Brewers
March 14 At Dbacks (Hermosillo, Mexico), Vs. Mariners (Split Squad)
March 15 Vs. Cubs
March 16 At White Sox
March 17 Vs. Indians
March 18 At Mariners
March 19 Vs. Athletics
March 20 Vs. Angels
March 21 At Royals
March 22 At Reds
March 23 Vs. Padres
March 24 OFF DAY
March 25 Vs. Reds
March 26 At Indians
March 27 Vs. White Sox
March 28 At Athletics
March 29 At Rangers
March 30 Vs. Dodgers
March 31 Vs. Diamondbacks
April 1 At Cubs
April 2-3 Vs. Mariners in Albuquerque

Tucson – A fellow Cactus League reporter suggested I was a little harsh Tuesday when I wrote the following after Jorge De La Rosa’s performance against the A’s:

“The Jorge De La Rosa experiment is going horribly wrong. The Rockies’ talented but wildly inconsistent left-hander didn’t even make it out of the first inning today against the Oakland A’s. He’s quickly putting his spot in the rotation in jeopardy.”

For the record, De La Rosa was pulled in the first inning after throwing 40 pitches and getting just one out. He gave up five runs on four hits and walked three. He also uncorked a wild pitch. In his last two starts (vs. Oakland and Team Mexico), De La Rosa has allowed 11 earned runs, 15 hits and five walks in a mere three innings.

With all that in mind, I approached Rockies pitching coach Bob Apodaca this morning and asked him for his thoughts. Apodaca, always thoughtful, always a gentleman, spoke at length about De La Rosa’s struggles this spring. Here’s a sample from the interview:

On De La Rosa’s performance this spring:
“He hasn’t looked very good, that’s black and white.”

On De La Rosa’s mindset on the mound:
“Sometimes it’s like you get into a street fight and the brain shuts down and all you are doing is swinging wildly. I think that’s why he’s doing right now. … He walks the first hitter and all those negative thoughts creep in. I think he has a plan going in, but the plan goes out the window after the first hitter.

On fixing De La Rosa’s mechanics:
“His side session tomorrow will be facing hitters, instead of just a regular bullpen. At some point he’s gets distracted. We need to fix that.”

On how concerned he is about De La Rosa’s spring:
“I never want to push the panic button, because they sense it when they feel that you are hitting the panic button. But I don’t want to use the phrase, ‘Oh, we’ve got time.’ No, to me, yesterday was unsatisfactory, it was unacceptable. … We have to be able to finish the inning.”

At the plate:Clint Barmes held a lumber party, going 4-for-4 with four RBIs. He finished a home run shy of the cycle. Barmes will open the season as the starting second baseman. “I am at my best when I stay loose and relaxed. I have been able to keep that approach and stay through the ball,” said Barmes, who his hitting .467 this spring.

On the mound:Franklin Morales rebounded from an atrocious outing with a sharp performance. He commanded a fastball that ranged from 88 to 92 miles per hour, allowing just three hits over four innings. “I had better location with my fastball, and had good balance and concentration. You know what, I never was down over the last game. I need to stay in control and try to win a job.”

Jason Hirsh was smashed for three runs in the sixth, his fastball lacking zip as it reaches the glove. He improved when his slider came into play, but didn’t get a lot of cheap outs. Hirsh is working to increase his mound tempo because he has a habit of working slowly. “It was progress, but not what I wanted,” Hirsh said. As it stands today, Morales and Greg Smith are slight leaders in the race for the fifth rotation spot, followed by Josh Fogg and Hirsh. Reynolds should benefit from more Triple-A seasoning, and Matt Belisle is still in the mix. He will make his debut Sunday.

In the field:Making a strong early push to land a bench job, Matt Murton has gotten good jumps and made a strong throws in both corner outfield spots. Jonathan Herrera, a walking web gem, made a sensational diving play at third base. He’s been playing all over given the injuries to Garrett Atkins, Ian Stewart and Jeff Baker. Yes, folks, Christian Colonel kept his streak alive. He has appeared in every spring game, including the B game and exhibition against Mexico. Dexter Fowler made a spectacular grab, running approximately 50 yards to track down a ball in the gap in the ninth inning.

Up next: The Rockies host the Padres in Tucson. Smith, Greg Reynolds and Belisle, in his spring debut, are scheduled to pitch. Todd Helton will start tomorrow and hit in the third spot in the lineup. Chris Young will start for San Diego.

Since the games began, spring training has been a nine-day cringe. The Rockies are officially 0-7 — 1-8 if you count a B game and Thursday’s exhibition against Mexico — as they head to Valley for a two-day roadie. They play the Padres today in Peoria, followed by the Giants in Scottsdale on Saturday.

Health, or lack thereof, has overshadowed camp. A quick update for my loyal readers (see my family) before heading West on I-10. Right fielder Brad Hawpe will have the four stitches in his left pinkie removed tomorrow. That means he should take batting practice Monday. Ian Stewart, out with a sore left biceps, will track pitches during bullpen sessions by Josh Fogg and Glendon Rusch. He also said he will take BP at Hi Corbett today.

Garrett Atkins, who was scratched yesterday with a sore right hip flexor, is scheduled to play tomorrow in Scottsdale, but a final decision won’t be made until after today’s workout. Todd Helton is creeping closer to his debut. Saw him this morning. He looks good, He won’t play until Sunday at the earliest. More likely it will be early next week. He continues to hit, run and field — I have watched these workouts — so there’s no reason to think he won’t play soon.

At the plate: Matt Murton, battling for a reserve outfield spot, keeps slugging the ball. He drove in Troy Tulowitzki with a sharp single in the second, then singled and stole second base in the fourth. Murton entered the game hitting .333 in Cactus League play. He started in left field today.

On the mound: Left-hander Jorge De La Rosa was pumped up to face his fellow countrymen. He left the mound decidedly deflated.
The free-swinging Mexican team knocked him around for six earned runs in just 2 2/3 innings. De La Rosa faced 17 batters and gave up 11 hits (.647 average). He also walked two.
“I made a lot of mistakes,” said De La Rosa, who’s penciled in as the Rockies fourth starter. “I left the ball up and paid for it.”
Mexico, getting primed for the WBC, was clearly ready to play.
“It is a good team, but if you make good pitches, you can get them out,” he said. “I’ve faced them a lot of times but I made a lot of mistakes.”
Young right-handed reliever Jhoulys Chacin came in and did a nice job dousing the hot Mexican bats, pitching 2 1/3 innings and giving up no hits. He did walk one and hit a batter.

In the field: Clint Barmes looked good at second base, looking smooth in turning two double plays. Although he’s played some shortstop this spring, Barmes increasingly looks at home manning second.

Footnotes: Third baseman Garrett Atkins was scratched from the starting lineup before the game because of a slight right hip flexor injury.

Up next: The Rockies, 0-7 in the Cactus League, travel to Peoria, Ariz., on Friday to play the San Diego Padres.
Scheduled Rockies pitchers: Aaron Cook, Allan Embree, Ryan Mattheus and Esmil Rogers.

Tucson – Clint Hurdle likes and admires Vinny Castilla. He just doesn’t want to see him go airborne this afternoon in the aftermath of a Team Mexico victory over his Rockies.
“I don’t want to see them tossing Vinny around on a blanket in the parking lot if they win,” Hurdle said with a hearty laugh. “I’ve seen that happen before. It’s part of their heritage, with the bullfighters and everything. It’s pretty cool.”

Castilla, the former Rockies star and now a special assistant for the club now manages Mexico’s WBC team. He’s incredibly popular in his native country. Even more so after Mexico routed the Diamondbacks 19-4 Wednesday night, roughing up ace Brandon Webb in the process.

Hurdle kidded that Castilla has a built-in advantage over the Rockies.

“He’s got all of our signs,” Hurdle said. “So I told him we have a hidden video camera in their dugout and we have mikes in there, so it kind of levels the playing field.”

The Rockies, 0-7 in Cactus League play, are still searching for their first victory. But even if they beat Mexico today, it won’t count in the official Cactus League standings.

Brad Hawpe has narrowly missed out on all-star berths the past few seasons. But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t received recognition. His power has earned him an invitation to play for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, agent Dan Horowits confirmed Friday.
Horowits said Hawpe is mulling the offer and, after talking with Rockies’ officials and his family, could make a decision as soon as Monday. The Rockies’ website first reported Hawpe’s invitation.
Hawpe, after a poor start, hit .283 with 25 home runs and 85 RBIs last season. Grady Sizemore and Ryan Braun have already indicated they would play. Former Rockie Matt Holliday, a member of Team USA in the inaugural WBC, is not expected to participate this time in order to acclimate himself to his new Oakland A’s club.

There will be a handful of Rockies in the WBC, with hard-throwing Ubaldo Jimenez already targeted by manager Felipe Alou to start for the Dominican Republic. Jorge De La, according to a source close to him, is expected to decline an invitation from team Mexico, managed by former Rockies’ great Vinny Castilla, though nothing is official yet. De La Rosa is penciled in as Colorado’s fifth starter, and if he’s used as a reliever in the WBC that could leave him unprepared when spring training ends. A similar problem arose with Byung-Hyun Kim and Sun-Woo Kim when they were used as relievers for Korea in the first WBC, affecting their preparation for the season.

The Rockies continue to make progress in their negotiations with left-hander Glendon Rusch, but no deal is imminent. Colorado doesn’t have a left-hander in its bullpen, and manager Clint Hurdle made a point to say he wanted Rusch back. Rusch is viewed as a swingman, who could also start if necessary.

Before agreeing to a deal, Rusch wants to make sure his role is clarified. He has interest from other teams, and doesn’t want to react too quickly without knowing for sure how the Rockies plan to use him. At this point, however, it would be a bit of an upset if the Rockies don’t sign him because he had such a good experience with the team last season.

Footnotes
Center fielder Ryan Spilborghs leaves for Mexico next week and will play three weeks, and perhaps longer pending playoffs as he sharpens his center field skills. He’s considered the favorite to take over the starting role for the Rockies. … Willy Taveras’ representatives met with the Rockies last week in Denver to discuss the outfielder’s future. It doesn’t likely include Colorado. He’s expected to be traded or non-tendered this week.

Tucson â€“ Those adorable Cubbies arrived at Hi Corbett Field today, bringing their fans with them.
I spoke to one of those fans. Her name was Linda. She was wearing a Wrigley Field T-shirt, Cubs hat and baseball earrings. Read more…

Patrick, a third-generation Colorado native, is back for his second stint covering the Rockies. He first covered the team from 2005-2009, helping chronicle “Rocktober” in 2007 and also following the team’s playoff run in 2009.

Nick Groke has worked at The Denver Post since 1997, as a sports reporter, city reporter, entertainment writer and digital editor and producer, among other newsroom posts. He also writes regularly about boxing, soccer, MMA and NASCAR.